It's all part of a plan announced a year ago to shed 1.8 million coal and steel jobs over a period of years as China tries to reduce excess capacity in industries dominated by bloated and inefficient state-owned enterprises.

The government is spending billions of dollars to help redeploy workers who are affected, Yin said.

In stark contrast, Trump reckons America needs more steel and coal.

In his address, he touted a directive that new American pipelines must be made with American steel and the removal of a regulation that he claimed threatened "the future and livelihoods of our great coal miners."

But the big job cuts in China highlight the challenges that the coal and steel industries face worldwide.

China has been accused of selling unwanted steel on global markets for less than it costs to produce and export, throttling rivals from other countries. The U.S. and the European Union have repeatedly complained about the issue, slapping heavy tariffs on Chinese steel products.

China is trying to shift its slowing economy away from a traditional reliance on manufacturing and state-directed investment in infrastructure.

A key challenge is overhauling inefficient state-owned companies, many of which are heavily in debt and hoover up a disproportionate share of financing from banks. That deprives private businesses of the funds they need to grow.

"Policymakers continue to drag their feet on reform due to fears that deep capacity cuts would cause a rise in layoffs and an immediate economic downturn," the Capital Economics report said. "But unless officials act soon, the economy's sustainable growth rate could more than halve in the years ahead."

"The coal jobs aren't coming back," said James Van Nostrand, director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at West Virginia University College of Law. He said in January that "market forces" rather than regulation are pummeling the industry.